1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of cleaning devices for circuit board connectors, and more specifically to abrasive devices used to clean edge connectors for circuit boards and circuit board sockets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many computers, and most personal computers, use circuit boards having input/output connectors that are typically referred to as edge connectors. Most home video games also use game cartridges having edge connectors to interface the game cartridge with the video game computer. Edge connectors, as with electrical connectors not manufactured using expensive gold alloys, chemically react with oxygen in the atmosphere to form a thin but non-conductive oxide layer which then acts as an insulator to inhibit the flow of current between the edge connector pad and the edge connector socket. In addition to chemical reactions related to oxidation, particulate contaminants such as dust, smoke and hydrocarbons in the environment operate to form insulating layers at the junction between edge connectors and edge connector sockets that prevent good electrical conduction.
Prior art methods for cleaning electrical contacts have employed such devices as Q-TIPs, cotton, cloth or felt layers adhered to planar boards or sticks, soaked with alcohol or mild soapy solutions to wipe the contact surfaces. These procedures while effective for male contact surfaces, such as the edge connectors, have been ineffective for female contact surfaces, such as the sockets used for edge connectors, due to the fact that the female contact surfaces are inherently recessed, making it difficult or impossible to reach the contact surface. Furthermore, these methods had little, if any, effect on chemically adhering oxide layers which inhibit electrical conduction. Additionally, these methods are undesirable due to the inconvenience of the liquid solvents involved.
More modern methods employ abrasive techniques to clean the insulating layers that form on contact surfaces. One such method is to employ a layer of burnishing material, such as commonly available aluminum oxide films, to a planar surface which can then be applied to the contact surfaces. While this has advantages over prior methods in cleaning female contact surfaces, the applied burnishing materials of prior teachings are actually applied to planar, surfaces rather than being part of the planar surface; thus, these films will themselves wear through the abrasive process and must be replaced. Furthermore, the application of burnishing materials contained in prior teachings has lacked insight for adapting even those techniques disclosed to a wide variety of uses.
Therefore, there is a long standing and continuing need within the teachings of the prior art for a convenient, inexpensive means to clean electrical contacts that is easily adaptable to a wide variety of uses.